Advani pleads for Chautala
GURGAON, Feb 19  Union Home Minister, Mr L.
K. Advani, today sought installation of
governments in the states which would coordinate
with the Centre and put its funds given to them
for development works to good use. In this
context, he said that a government headed by Mr
Om Prakash Chautala would be the most ideal one.

PM to visit Palwal, Ambala
alsoGURGAON,
Feb 19  Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee
will also visit Palwal in Faridabad district and
Ambala, besides Panipat, on his visit to Haryana
on February 20.

Punjab commandos called
backBATHINDA,
Feb 19  Punjab police commandos which were
deployed in Haryana for security arrangements
during the coming general assembly elections have
been asked to leave the state immediately by the
Ministry of Home Affairs of the Central
Government.

Badal sure of NDA victoryFATEHABAD,
Feb 19  The Punjab Chief Minister, Mr
Parkash Singh Badal, has said a landslide victory
for the BJP and its allies and a total rout of
the Congress after the coming Assembly poll is
certain.

Congress main contender
FaridabadFARIDABAD,
Feb 19  All the six constituencies in
Faridabad district are poised for a fierce
contest either between the Congress and the
INLD-BJP combine or between the Congress and
Independents (mainly Congress and BJP rebels).

Mohindra refuses to bask
in fathers gloryBAUND
KALAN (Bhiwani), Feb 19  As soon as Mr
Ranbir Singh Mohindra, Congress aspirant from the
Mundal Khurd constituency, came out of his dusty
Sumo at the main market here. He was surrounded
by a gathering of about 50 persons.

Three
booked for raping girlKURUKSHETRA,
Feb 19  The local police has registered a case
against Jasbir Singh and three others under Sections 363,
366 and 376/34, IPC, for allegedly kidnapping and raping
a minor girl at Sector 13 here on the intervening night
of February 15 and 16.

VC's
clarificationCHANDIGARH,
Feb 19  The Vice-Chancellor of Maharshi
Dayanand University clarified today that the
alleged irregularities in the examination branch
were detected by the Controller of Examinations
and not by anyone else as alleged in a report
published in this newspaper on February 19

GURGAON, Feb 19 
Union Home Minister, Mr L. K. Advani, today sought
installation of governments in the states which would
coordinate with the Centre and put its funds given to
them for development works to good use. In this context,
he said that a government headed by Mr Om Prakash
Chautala would be the most ideal one.

Mr Advani, who addressed
the first election-related public meeting here to canvass
for the BJP nominee, Mr Tilak Raj Malhotra, asserted that
the BJP and its ally faced no challenge from their
opponents in the state.

Mr Advani, who came to
Haryana after canvassing for the nominees of the BJP and
its allies in Bihar and Orissa, said that his party was
of the view that the Atal Behari Vajpayee-led government
at the Centre should continue with its vision for the
overall transformation in society by achieving the goal
of total welfare of the people and encourage its allies.
The parties forming governments in the states must
coordinate and also work according to the vision of the
Centre.

The party had taken up
the challenge in Bihar where it was said that no matter
what happened the Rashtriya Janata Dal leadership and the
partys government were invincible at the hustings.
The country was resigned to the fact that the RJD could
manipulate the elections in its favour in any given
situation.This election would reverse the trend, he
added.

Mr Advani held the
prevailing poverty in the country to the
"corrupt" and "misrule" of the
successive governments of the Congress. It was shocking
that India ranked 134 out of the 170 countries in the
comity of nations by the UN on the basis of "Human
Development Index"; this was based on education,
health and income of the people. He lamented that Asian
countries like Malaysia,Sri Lanka and Thailand were
better placed than India in the international ranking.

Earlier, the president
of the Haryana unit of the BJP, Mr Om Prakash Grover,
cautioned the masses not to be misled by some of the INLD
rebels who are in the fray as Independents where the BJP
nominees were contesting. The INLD chief had already made
it clear that the rebels did not have the partys
support. Without naming former minister Rao Narbir Singh,
who is contesting as BSP nominee in Gurgaon, he said that
he had no ethics and was a constant defector. He shifted
his loyalty to parties and constituencies. He won the
last election as HVP nominee from Sohna, became a
minister, later joined the INLD and hobnobbed with the
Congress.When the Congress did not give him the ticket,
he joined the BSP to become its nominee from Gurgaon, he
added.

Later, Mr Grover told a
group of newsmen that Mr Chautala was likely to expel all
the rebels contesting as Independents from the INLD.

Those present on the
occasion include former Delhi Chief Minister Saheb Singh
Verma, Leader of the Opposition in the Delhi Assembly
Jagdish Mukhi, Vice-President of the Haryana unit of the
Mahilla Morcha, Sandhya Bajaj and the BJP MP from
Mahendragarh Lok Sabha constituency, Sudha Yadav and Mr
Sitaram Singla.

According to observers,
the turnout in the much hyped public meeting was
unexpectedly low when considered that Mr Advani was to
address it. A sizeable chunk of the audience comprised of
the BJP leaders,besides the security personnel.

GURGAON, Feb 19 
Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee will also visit
Palwal in Faridabad district and Ambala, besides Panipat,
on his visit to Haryana on February 20.

According to sources,
while Palwal has been added in Mr Vajpayees
itinerary at the instance of Haryana Chief Minister Om
Prakash Chautala, Ambala has been included at the
persuasion of the BJP.

Mr Chautala had
reportedly been trying for Mr Vajpayees meeting in
Palwal. Former minister, Karan Dalal had joined the BJP
after he defected from the HVP along with other party
MLAs leading to the fall of the Bansi Lal government. But
the BJP had to give up claim on the Palwal seat in favour
of the INLD. The reason being that Mr Chautala made the
seat a prestige issue. In retaliation Mr Karan Dalal,
considered to be a popular leader, defied by contesting
as a nominee of the Republican Party of India.

The INLD is keen on
winning the seat. The reason being that Mr Dalal, in
response to Mr Chautalas public statement that he
would be defeated, challenged him to contest from Palwal.
This ugly episode occurred when the INLD-BJP negotiations
for the sharing of seats were on. Mr Chautala had also
questioned the popularity of other BJP leaders, including
state president, Om Prakash Grover Prof Ram Bilas Sharma
and Mr Sita Ram Singla.

On the other hand, the
Congress arranged the visit of Mrs Gandhi to boost the
chances of its nominees in Mewat, especially Nuh 
considered to be the headquarters of Mewat  and
Ferozepur Jhirka. The Congress nominees are said to be in
trouble.

Mr Kanshi Ram wants to
give a further boost to its nominees in South Haryana,
especially in Gurgaon and Nuh, where the BSP nominees are
in the reckoning.

BATHINDA, Feb 19 
Punjab police commandos which were deployed in Haryana
for security arrangements during the coming general
assembly elections have been asked to leave the state
immediately by the Ministry of Home Affairs of the
Central Government.

After receiving a
communication in this regard from the Ministry of Home
Affairs today morning, the state police authorities have
started withdrawing its commandos from various parts of
Haryana and process would be over in a day or two.

Mr Sarbjit Singh, DGP,
Punjab Police, who was here today to attend the annual
function of Police Public School, told Tribune News
Service that 20 companies of Punjab police commandos were
deployed in Haryana in view of the assembly elections to
be held on February 22.

He said the companies
were sent on the request of the Haryana Government on
February 15. He said the Ministry of Home Affairs had
asked the Punjab police authorities to call back its
commandos as they were no more required in Haryana.

When asked that what was
the reason behind the orders of the ministry, he said
that perhaps the decision was taken on the complaint of
HPCC, President, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda. Mr Hooda had
lodged a complaint with the Election Commission that
Punjab police commandos might be used by the ruling party
in Haryana to rig the poll.

When asked that whether
the friendship of Mr Om Parkash Chautala and Mr Parkash
Singh Badal was the main reason behind the decision, he
said that it might be one of the reasons.

Mr Sarbjit Singh said
the Punjab police had been alerted to meet the challenge
thrown by the forces inimical to the country which were
smuggling in fake currency notes. He added that in the
last one and half month, the Punjab police had seized
counterfeit currency notes worth Rs 5 lakh.

He said the circulation
of fake currency notes in the markets could not be
prevented absolutely as the general people and staff
members of various banks were not yet equipped with the
skills to make a distinction between the genuine currency
note and counterfeit currency note.

He added the smuggling
of narcotics, arms and fake currency notes could not be
ruled out from entry and exit points of the country on
the borders. He said in Punjab, BSF and Punjab police
were having better coordination to thwart the designs of
foreign agencies.

To a question, he said
that it was for the government to decide whether to stop
Samjhauta Express train running between Delhi and Lahore,
or not after the seizure of fake currency from the
passengers of this train.

The DGP disclosed that
the Cabinet decision to repatriate the police officials
on deputation to their parent state was being implemented
and before the beginning of next financial year. No
police official on deputation would remain posted in
Punjab.

FATEHABAD, Feb 19 
The Punjab Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, has
said a landslide victory for the BJP and its allies and a
total rout of the Congress after the coming Assembly poll
is certain.

Mr Badal was addressing
an election rally in support of the INLD candidate, Mr
Leela Krishan Choudhary, here today. The Haryana Chief
Minister, Mr Om Parkash Chautala, Mr Mani Ram Godara and
the INLD MP from Sirsa, Mr Sushil Indora, were present.
Mr Badal held the Congress responsible for all ills in
the country.

He said it was a matter
of shame that though the Congress had remained in power,
at the Centre and in various States for a maximum period
of time, but it had not been able to provide even basic
necessities like clean drinking water to the people.

He said the Congress
never believed in the development. The party, he alleged,
had been ruling the country all these years by dividing
the people in the name of caste, creed and religion.

He said the people of
India cannot be befooled for long. He said the people had
now started seeing through the gameplan of the Congress
and that was the reason that its base had started
shrinking in the recent years.

Mr Badal claimed that
the Congress will further disintegrate. After the
elections and the people will see that the Congress would
be so divided that every state would have its own
Congress.

The Punjab Chief
Minister did not utter a word about the sensitive issues
concerning Punjab and Haryana like the SYL canal but said
that the two states were like brothers and their
relations would be further strengthened after Mr Chautala
regained power. He said the alliance of the SAD and the
INLD with the BJP in Punjab and Haryana respectively, was
not a marriage of convenience, but it was a marriage of
thoughts.

Mr Om Parkash Chautala
said he had not come here to seek votes as a Chief
Minister of the State but he said, he had come to them as
a beggar to beg for their votes. Mr Chautala said he was
not begging for himself or his party. Neither was he
begging for Mr Vajpayee.

He, he added, was
begging for the development of the State, which, he said,
had gone far behind during the Congress and the HVP rule.

He promised that he
would work for all sections of the society coming back to
power.

Claiming that a victory
for INLD candidate Mr Leela Krishan Choudhary was a
foregone conclusion. Mr Chautala exhorted his party
workers to ensure maximum polling so that the margin of
victory could be increased.

Former Haryana Home
Minister Mr Mani Ram Godara, the party MP from Sirsa Dr
Sushil Indora and the INLD candidate from Fatehabad Mr
Leela Krishan Choudhary.

FARIDABAD, Feb 19 
All the six constituencies in Faridabad district are
poised for a fierce contest either between the Congress
and the INLD-BJP combine or between the Congress and
Independents (mainly Congress and BJP rebels).

In the NIT the main
fight is between Mr A.C. Chowdhary (Congress) and Mr
Chander Bhatia (BJP). However Subedar Suman, former mayor
contesting as an Indpendent may cut into votes of the
slum dewellers, but is not likely to make a major dent in
the Congress-BJP citadel.

According to pollsters
the Congress has gained sufficient ground to make the
contest a lively one against the BJP.

The constituency has
2.18 lakh votes comprising 62,000 Punjabis, the majority
community followed by 18,000 Muslims and 51,000 Dalits.
While Punjabi votes would be divided between the Congress
and the BJP, Muslims would favour the Congress. However
the Dalit votes may be the deciding factor, in spite of
Subedar Suman garnering some votes of the community. Jats
are likely to favour the Congress.

In 1996 Mr Bhatia had
defeated Mr Chowdhary by 34,407 votes. In Mewla
Maharajpur the main fight is again between Mr J.P. Nagar
(Congress) and Mr Krishnapal Gujar (BJP) Mr Mahendra
Pratap Singh, a Congress rebel who is contesting on the
BSP symbol is also a strong candidate. Since all the
three are Gujars they are likely to share the votes of
40,000 strong community, with the major going to Mr
Nagar. The Nagars and Gujars are around 30,000 while the
10,000 others are Bhadana. The sector votes may mainly go
to the BJP.

The outcome is expected
to be nail biting finish with Mr Gujar (BJP) having an
edge over the Congress and the BSP nominee. Ballabhgarh
is likely to witness a key contest between Mr Ram Bilas
Sharma, a state-level BJP leader and Mr Rajendra Bisla, a
Congress rebel who is in the fray as an Independent. Even
the Prime Minister had to address an election meeting on
Thursday last in order to boost the prospects of Mr
Sharma, who is also contesting from Mahendragarh where he
is reported to be on a slippery ground.

Mr Subhash Chowdhary
(Congress) is making all out efforts to wrest the
initiative to compete with the BJP and the Congress
rebel. His campaign seems to have picked up.

In Palwal Mr Karan
Dalal, a BJP rebel who is in the fray on the RPI symbol
is locked in a key battle with Mr Devinder Chauhan
(INLD). The latter is having an edge over the former. The
Congress nominee Mr Yogesh Gaur has yet to cover
sufficient ground to make to the hustings.

In Hathin too Mr Azmat
Khan (Congress) and Mr Bhagwan Sahai Rawat (INLD) are the
potential rivals with Mr Harsh Kumar (HVP) close on the
heels of the two. If the 36,000 strong Meo votes favour
Mr Azmat Khan en block he could be in the winning
position.

Hasanpur (reserve) seat
will witness a direct clash between Mr Jagdish Nayar
(INLD) and Mr Udaybhan, a Congress rebel supported by the
BSP. Mr Ram Ratan (Congress) is working hard to make the
electoral battle an interesting one.

YAMUNANAGAR, Feb 19
 The Congress is a sinking ship and the future of
Haryana will be safe in the hands of Mr Om Prakash
Chautala, a senior BJP leader and former Chief Minister
of Delhi Mr Madan Lal Khurana, has claimed.

While addressing a joint
meeting of BJP, Akali Dal and INLD workers here on
Thursday, Mr Khurana claimed that the BJP-INLD alliance
in Haryana would sweep the elections. He further claimed
that there was a wave in favour of these two parties. Mr
Khurana was here to campaign for the BJP candidate, Mr
Rameshwar Chauhan.

Mr Khurana lauded Mr Om
Prakash Chautala for the success of the
sarkar apke dwar programme. He denied that
there was any rift between the two parties.

Mr Harcharan Singh Bali,
former Minister of Delhi also spoke.

Meanwhile, an election
procession was taken out today by the BJP candidate from
Yamunanagar constituency, Mr Randhir Singh, through the
main streets of the town. Hundreds of women also
participated in the procession.

In another development,
the Purvanchal Kalyan Sabha and Shri Gopal Paper Mill
Kamgar Union have extended their support to the BJP-INLD
nominee from this constituency, Dr Kamal Verma.

YAMUNANAGAR, Feb 19
 The Congress in Haryana is in a pitiable
condition, said Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, the Chief Minister
of Himachal Pradesh. Addressing series of corner meetings
in favour of Dr Kamla Verma, the BJP candidate, stated
that in the new millennium the Congress would be wiped
out from the national scene because this party was
without any leader and policy. He said that in Haryana
all the senior leaders of the Congress were working hard
to ensure the defeat of their own nominees.

He further added that
the Congress has not been able to project any Chief
Minister in Haryana as yet. Mr Dhumal said the BJP and
the INLD in Haryana would sweep the elections and Mr Om
Prakash Chautala would be the next Chief Minister of
Haryana. He lauded the contribution of Mr Chautala in
launching welfare schemes. He said that candidates of
both the BJP and the INLD were working together to ensure
the defeat of the Congress. Mr Dhumal reminded that in
1977 when Babu Jagjivan Ram left the Congress the party
lost the mandate and now his daughter has resigned from
the party.

CHANDIGARH, Feb 19
 The Ambala Congress has demanded that only Central
paramilitary forces should be posted in the sensitive
Assembly constituency of Naggal in the district.

A former minister, Mr
Nirmal Singh, is contesting from Naggal on the Congress
ticket. He is being opposed by Mr Jasbir Mallaur of the
INLD. As the Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, has
made the seat a prestige issue for him, the constituency
is witnessing a keen contest.

The president of the
Ambala District Congress Committee (Rural), Mr Balwant
Gupta, in a statement here today said the administration
was planning to deploy the Punjab Armed Police (PAP) in
Naggal. He said as Punjab Chief Minister, Parkash Singh
Badal had personal relations with Mr Chautala and had
even campaigned in the state for the INLD, the Congress
had no confidence in the PAP.

Claiming that the
Congress would win a majority in Ambala district, Mr
Gupta urged all the party men to sink their differences
and work for the party.

CHANDIGARH, Feb 19
 It is not the Rori constituency alone where an
electoral battle between two brothers is on, Pehowa in
Kurukshetra district too is witnessing a battle royal
between two brothers, both of whom are contesting as
Independents.

While in Rori the battle
is between two famous members of the Devi Lal family
 Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala and his younger
brother Ranjit Singh, in Pehowa two Saini brothers are
fighting it out. A former Haryana Minister, Mr Balbir
Saini, is pitted against his step-brother, Mr Sadhu Ram
Saini, who had so far left the field of politics for his
younger brother. The latter is an industrialist and a
philanthropist.

According to family
sources, the two brothers had reached an understanding
before the poll process started. It was decided that if
Balbir succeeded in getting the Congress ticket, he would
contest the elections. If not, Sadhu Ram would be in the
field as an Independent. Balbir failed to get the
Congress ticket. But both brothers decided to contest the
elections. Sadhu Ram succeeded in getting the support of
the HVP.

The main contest in
Pehowa is between Mr Jaswinder Singh of the INLD and Mr
Baldev Singh Ramaana of the Congress. The two Sainis seem
more interested in scoring over each other than winning
the seat.

AMBALA, Feb 19 
The Congress will provide power and water at the cheap
rate to the people of Haryana if it comes to power. This
was stated by film star and Congress leader Rajesh Khanna
here today. He was addressing a rally in the city in
favour of Mrs Kiran Bala Jain. Later, he also addressed a
rally in Ambala cantonment.

He said the BJP and the
INLD alliance would not be able to provide a stable
government in the state. The present government had
failed to provide 24-hour power in the state, he added.

He assured the people
that he would again come to the city if they elect the
Congress candidate from this seat.

Mr Tara Chand Mor,
co-convenor and spokesman of the samiti, said here today
that the Chautala Government had worked against the
farmers in general and the Jats in particular. The samiti
did not expect any improvement in the situation after the
elections Mr Chautala was voted to power.

SONEPAT, Feb 19 
In a bid to ensure free, fair and peaceful Assembly
elections in Sonepat district, the district
administration organised a flag march here last evening.

Mr Sudhir Rajpal, Deputy
Commissioner, said here today the district administration
would not allow booth-capturing and law and order would
be maintained at all costs.

All six Assembly
segments had been divided into sectors and put under the
supervision of sector magistrates. Each sector
magistrate, would be assisted by a police officer.

The Election Commission
had sent commando units from Punjab and the paramilitary
forces under the supervision of a DSP-rank officer for
patrolling "hyper-sensitive and sensitive"
areas in the district.

Mr K.P. Singh, SSP, said
all areas bordering Delhi and UP had been sealed. As many
as 75 check-posts had been set up to check the entry of
anti social elements in the district. Patrolling along
the Yamuna river and other border areas had been stepped
up.

SONEPAT, Feb 19 
Mr Sudhir Rajpal, District Magistrate, Sonepat, today
enforced the Punjab Village and Small Town Patrol Act,
making it obligatory for all able-bodied adult males of
all villages in the district to perform patrol duty
round-the-clock for safeguarding railway stations,
bridges, railway lines, trains, telephone and telegraph
lines, power transmission lines, waterworks, and canals,
besides other vital installations.

According to official
sources, the order will continue till further orders.

In another order, the DM
enforced the prohibitory orders under Section 144, Cr PC,
banning the assembly of five or more persons and carrying
of firearms in the area of 200 metres of the polling
stations in Sonepat district. The movement of vehicles on
the polling day was also restricted.

BAUND KALAN (Bhiwani),
Feb 19  As soon as Mr Ranbir Singh Mohindra,
Congress aspirant from the Mundal Khurd constituency,
came out of his dusty Sumo at the main market here. He
was surrounded by a gathering of about 50 persons.

"He is Bansi
Laljis eldest son", Sunil Kumar, a villager,
whispered to this reporter. "But he is seeking vote
on his own, not in his fathers name", Sunil
Kumar added. Meanwhile, Mr Mohindra was asking the
gathering to turn up for Mr Madhavrao Scindias
meeting in the village in the afternoon.

The exercise complete,
he leaves for the next village, Sajanwas, and repeats
what he did in the previous village. On Friday, most of
the day was spent by the Congress nominee for mobilising
people for the meeting in the afternoon.

In between, he just
squeezed in one meeting for himself at Sajanwas where he
addressed a gathering. Only the Congress can provide a
stable government", he said, adding that the problem
of instability was inherent in any coalition government.

"The Congress Party
does not make false promises like the INLD or the HVP but
the important demands such as power and irrigation water
will be taken care of in a better way if the Congress
comes to power", he said. The crowd listened
attentively and clapped whenever Mr Mohindras
supporters initiated the clapping. Nowhere did he mention
the name of his father Mr Bansi Lal, considered an
architect of development of this backward district, in
his speech.

"He is Mr Bansi
Lals son but he is from a rival party, those who
have regards for Mr Bansi Lal will vote for Chattar Singh
Chauhan", said a villager.

The HVP chief himself
toured the constituency extensively on Tuesday and asked
people to vote for former Speaker of the Haryana
Assembly, Mr Chattar Singh Chauhan, who is seeking
re-election from this seat. While canvassing for the
HVPs nominee, Mr Bansi Lal, made it clear that it
was Mr Chauhan who was more of a son to him.

"I am not on
speaking terms with my father", Mr Mohindra told
this correspondent in course of an interview at his
sprawling residence, which is close to Mr Bansi
Lals house in Bhiwani town. He said he had never
liked regional parties and when his father formed the
Haryana Vikas Party (HVP), he decided not to have any
truck with it. "This annoyed my father and our
relationship started deteriorating", Mr Mohindra,
who is a criminal lawyer by profession, said.

Mr Mohindra is instantly
recognised by the voters as Mr Bansi Lals son,
though he is not taking any undue advantage of this fact.
The Mundal Khurd constituency, comprising 42 villages and
no town, has an electorate of about 1.15 lakh, including
more than 30,000 Jat voters. The Jats are packing Mr
Ranbir Singh, who is himself a Jat.

However, Mr Om Prakash
Chautala, Chief Minister and INLD chief, who recently
toured this constituency appealed to the Jat community to
vote for Shashi Parmar. If Mr Parmar manages to secure a
section of the Jat votes, it can upset the applecart of
Mr Mohindra.

The Rajputs, with more
than 22,000 adults, are the second largest group of
voters in the constituency, and both Mr Parmar and Mr
Chauhan belong to this community. However, Mr Chauhan
evidently is not a favourite among the Rajput this time.
Mr Chauhan, in fact, belongs to Baund Kalan village and
even here the villagers seem to be divided between Mr
Mohindra and Mr Parmar, not for Mr Chauhan.

"We want the HVP
nominee to buck up a little bit so that there is a split
in the Rajput votes", confided Mr N.N. Goswami, an
activist of the Mohindra camp. The Brahmins, the backward
castes and the Scheduled Castes are the other major
groups in this constituency and their support will be
crucial.

AMBALA: The
Congress and the BJP are facing tough fight from an
Independent candidate, Mr Anil Vij, in the Ambala
Cantonment. In 1996 Assembly elections this seat was
retained by Mr Vij as an Independent. He has been
contesting from here in the past. The BJP has again put
up its party President of the local unit, Dr K.D. Sharma,
who seems to be in form this time. The
Congress has allotted its ticket to a woman candidate,
Mrs Sudarshana Dua, who have been the Chairman, Municipal
Council, Ambala Sadar.

Mrs Sudarshna Dua has
been facing the problems from her own party leaders. Some
of the leaders who were the aspirants of the ticket in
the party were not reportedly supporting her internally.
Three days back when HPCC President, Bhupinder Singh
Hooda came to Ambala Cantonment to address a rally, the
supporters of Mr Bhajan Lal reportedly boycotted the
rally.

No doubt the Congress
has a strong hold in Ambala Cantonment from the
beginning. For the last two decades there has been a keen
contest between the Congress and the BJP.

In 1977 Mrs Sushma
Swaraj was elected from here on the Janata Party ticket
defeating her Congress rival, Mr Dev Raj Anand. In 1982
the Congress captured this seat defeating Som Chopra of
the BJP. In 1987 again Mrs Sushma Swaraj got elected from
here. In 1990, during the mid-term poll for the first
time Anil Vij was elected MLA on the BJP ticket. In 1991
the Congress candidate, Brij Anand, won this seat
defeating Mr Vij of the BJP. In 1996 Mr Anil Vij captured
this seat as an Independent candidate defeating both the
Congress and BJP candidates.

In Lok Sabha election
held a few months back the BJP-INLD candidate, Mr Rattan
Lal Kataria, who secured the over all lead of 1,24,333,
get only 1714 lead from the Ambala Cantt constituency.

Mr Anil Vij seems to be
confident that the electorate would recognise development
works done during his tenure. In 1996 for the second time
Mr Vij was elected to the Haryana Assembly.

The BJP candidate, Dr
K.D. Sharma, is a leading orthopaedic specialist of
Ambala. In 1996 when he contested the election for the
first time on the BJP ticket he was not acceptable to the
local BJP workers, but this time the picture is
different.

YAMUNANAGAR, Feb 19
 The contests to enter the Haryana assembly are
fierce. No major party candidate is leaving anything to
chance. Even Independents, mostly rebels trying to make
going tough, whose nominations they could not stop. Some
of them would certainly succeed.

In the nine Vidhan Sabha
constituencies falling in the Kurukshetra Lok Sabha area
and part of three districts of Yamunanagar, Kurukshetra
and Kaithal, all major parties are claiming big
victories. The din of electioneering has risen. While
Jeeps, cars and Sumos, full of party supporters rush from
place to place, keeping the candidates in upbeat mood.
The dusk comes as a reminder of ground realities.

Money is no problem for
most of the contestants. Kitchens that prepare tea and
food during the day turn into drinking dens as the dusk
falls. We have no choice. The old time of
having committed cadre is nearly gone. We too have keep
these people in good humour and what is better than a
drink or two," admits a BJP leader. The result is
visible when their own supporters would not let the
speakers address a late evening public meeting by keeping
the chorus of "Zindabad" and "jeete ga
bhai jeete ga". The Union Minister of State for
Home, Mr I.D. Swami had tough time to make the supporting
crowd listen to him.

At least in seven of the
nine constituencies of Yamunanagar, Shahbad, Thanesar,
Pehowa, Kaithal, Pai and Pundri money power is visible.
Even in the two reserved constituencies of Redauar and
Guhla, not many candidates lack resources.

While observers keep
some watchful eye on the poll expenses, all cannot be
accounted for. "Well, our supporters provide the
funds. There is no dearth. But funds are not unlimited
also", admit Congress and INLD leaders in
Kurukshetra. In fact, the question nags them. Even a
rally of the BSP, the party of the poor, say at
Chhachhrauli could cost anything around Rs 1 lakh.

To a question why do the
supporters donate so handsomely, a school teacher Mr
Prhalad Singh replied: "This is an investment. It is
like betting on a winning horse. You need the support of
an MLA to get things done. Say jobs, work in the police
stations, tehsils and other offices. Even a defeated
leader is worth something as he can pull strings here and
there. One feels insecure without their help or
presence". Politics is a good business.

Ask officials from the
police, the revenue, the Public Works Departments or from
the irrigation or even from the education, they have to
take care of the needs of the politicians, both the
ruling and the opposition. These middle level officers
need comfortable postings or places where they can spin
money. Some are so much influential that they get their
own colleagues prime place and thus are more powerful. In
the process they make money. "We have to do all this
to survive. Some also make money. The system is so rotten
and we have to go with this", explains one such
officer at Radauar. "The system is perfect. These
officials have to be on the right side of the powers that
be and it suits the politicians immensely. Both sides
thrive on this" adds Mr Raghbir Singh, one time
secretary of Haryana CPM.

As campaign enters the
fast lane and the candidates pull their socks, voters
fear because they feel that they would once again be
cheated and hope that someone might finally emerge who
could be their saviour. But it is largely despondency
that marks their mood. For them it is darkness at noon.
"What shall we get out of this whole exercise.
Perhaps more taxes and more burden. More bus fare and
more prices. I am going to be a blacksmith all my life as
my father was. But is there any hope for my two
sons?", questions 35 year-old blacksmith, Ram Lal
near Kheri Dabdalan in the Thanesar Assembly area. His
views are shared by a small farmer sitting on his hunches
and sipping tea. He is sad and angry. The debate with the
people around turns very sullen indeed. But the farmer is
able to retain his humour when he adds, "look son,
you could at least visit these camps of the candidates in
the evening and enjoy free booze and food for some days
or even have free rides in their cars and Jeeps. You have
just to shout some slogans. That is all".

In the nearby Babain,
some school teachers who have finished their teaching sit
in a tea stall and sip tea. Their chatting centres around
who would be winning in Shahbad, Radauar, Thanesar and
all over Haryana. It is indeed interesting to listen to
this group. They are teachers after all. While a senior
one says, "if Mr Bansi Lal could organise a good
party and run the government for five years, he could
really develop the area". But from where he would
get leaders of quality. Says the other and two others nod
in agreement but a third one differs. "Individuals
are important, but then the system is rotten. There is
nothing wrong with Mr Chautala. It is corruption which is
at the core of all problems", he adds.

MEWAT, Feb 19  The
ruling INLD, the Congress and the BSP are on equal
footing in the three Assembly segments of Nuh, Taoru and
Ferozepur Jhirka in Mewat dominated by Meo Muslims, while
the BJP faces a daunting task of retaining the Taoru
seat.

The Congress nominee and
former minister Khurshid Ahmed, who represented the Nuh
Assembly constituency in the last Assembly, is again in
the fray as the party candidate. But the BSPs
Habibur Rehman (BSP) and Mr Hamid Hussain (INLD) have
severely threatened the Congress prospects. The
general feeling is that Mr Habibur Rehman, who had
resigned as Tehsildar and unsuccessfully contested on the
HVP ticket in the last election, is having an edge on all
14 candidates in the fray as a BSP nominee.

Congress circles,
however, feel that Mr Khurshid Ahmed will finally catch
up, but it is the INLD nominee, Mr Hamid Hussain, who was
showing signs of a showdown with the BSP nominee. The BSP
nominee is a brother of former minister Illiyas Mohammad,
who is contesting as the INLD nominee from the
neighbouring Ferozepur Jhirka Assembly segment. The
support base of Mr Illiyas Mohammad in Nuh is siding with
Mr Rabibur Rehman rather than Mr Hamid Hussain.

Mr Hamid Hussain is a
brother of Congress stalwart from Mewat, Tayab Hussain,
who is a minister in the Rajasthan Government. His
supporters are siding with Mr Hamid Hussain rather than
Mr Khurshid Ahmed. Significantly, the son of Mr Tayab
Hussain and nephew of Mr Hamid Hussain, Mr Zakir
Huassain, is contesting as the Congress nominee in the
adjoining Taoru Assembly segment.

The problem of Mr
Khurshid Ahmed is that his traditional family rivalry
with Mr Tayab Hussain remains unabated. His camp alleges
that supporters of Mr Khurshid Ahmed had worked against
the candidature of Mr Zakir Hussain when he had contested
as the Congress nominee from the Faridabad Lok Sabha
constituency in the last Lok Sabha elections, resulting
in his defeat.

The INLD camp is,
however, optimistic about the support of Hindus in the
urban areas on account of the INLD-BJP alliance. But Mr
Hamid Hussain wears the tag of a person who has
unsuccessfully contested the Assembly elections four
times.

In Taoru, the BJP is
hurtling towards a major upset by the Congress. The BJP
has renominated Mr Surajpal, who represented the seat in
the last Assembly. He was also a minister in the Bansi
Lal Government. The BJP won the seat in the last election
sending ripples in political circles of the state and the
national capital. The main factor that contributed to his
victory was the popularity of the HVP-BJP combine led by
Mr Bansi Lal and division of the Muslim vote.

To add to the discomfort
of the BJP nominee, Mr Subhash Goyal (Independent) is
threatening to corner a good chunk of the upper Hindu
caste votes, the support base of the party here.

In Ferozepur Jhirka,
former minister and INLD nominee Illiyas Mohammad,
engaged in a direct fight with another former minister
and Congress nominee Shakrullah Khan, appears to be
having an upper hand.

BHATTU KALAN (Fatehabad)
 Haryanas Finance Minister and senior INLD
leader, Prof Sampat Singh, is wooing the voters of this
predominantly rural seat for the sixth time. Hence he is
no stranger to the Bhattu Kalan electorate to whom he was
first time introduced in 1980. After remaining
unsuccessful in his maiden attempt, Prof Sampat Singh
went on to win the next three elections consecutively in
1982, 1987 and 1991.

However, he lost to the
veteran HVP leader, Mr Mani Ram Godara, in 1996 by a
margin of about 7,000 votes. He made to the dissolved
House in a byelection from the neighbouring constituency
of Fatehabad in 1998. But his heart remained in Bhattu.
After he became the Finance Minister in the Chautala
ministry, Prof Sampat Singh nursed both Bhattu and
Fatehabad constituencies.

When Mr Godara joined
the INLD and expressed the desire to contest from Bhattu,
Prof Sampat Singh was a much worried person till his
nomination was announced from Bhattu by the party.

Challenging Prof Sampat
Singh is Mr Jagdish Nehra of the Congress. A former
minister, Mr Nehra was nominated for Bhattu as a result
of a compromise. Mr Nehra wanted to challenge the Chief
Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, from his traditional
constituency of Rori in Sirsa district. Mr
Chautalas younger brother, Ranjit, too wanted to
contest from Rori. The party gave the Rori seat to Ranjit
and pushed Nehra to Bhattu.

Mr Nehra admits that he
came to Bhattu most reluctantly. He says the response of
the voters in the constituency is much better than what
he had expected. One reason of his enthusiasm is that the
Bishnois, about 13,000 strong in the area, have by and
large extended support to Mr Nehra under the influence of
the former Chief Minister, Mr Bhajan Lal, besides the
traditional Congress vote bank. He says the voters of the
constituency want a change and there is anti-incumbency
factor against Prof Sampat Singh.

The INLD supporters says
Prof Sampat Singh is mainly responsible for the
development of Bhattu. The voters know that the
professor, considered to be an important member of the
INLD think tank, will occupy a prominent position in any
INLD dispensation in the State. The INLD is fairly
comfortable against Mr Nehra, considered to be an
outsider in the area.

Mr Jai Narain Verma of
the Congress is involved in an unequal fight with Mr Lila
Kishan of the INLD from the Fatehabad constituency. Mr
Lila Kishan, who was once considered close to Mr Bhajan
Lal, had quit the Congress and joined the INLD during the
1999 Lok Sabha elections. He is one of the few who
despite being a new entrant to the INLD had been
nominated by the party. A former minister, Mr Lila
Kishan, with the help of his personal influence among the
Punjabi community here and the INLD vote bank is
confident of making it to the Assembly.

A former Haryana
minister and former president of the Haryana Congress, Mr
Harpal Singh, is locked in a fierce battle with Mr Nishan
Singh of the INLD. The President of the district unit of
the INLD, Mr Nishan Singh, is a Kamboj Sikh and has
entered the electoral arena for the first time. The fight
promises to be close. A Congress rebel, Mr Gian Chand
Pruthi, can make a dent in the vote bank of Mr Harpal
Singh.

In the Ratia (reserved)
constituency rebels are posing a problem to the INLD
nominee, Mr Jarnail Singh. Mr Mahavir Prasad, former
secretary of the Haryana BJP Scheduled Caste Morcha; and
Mr Atma Singh Gill, a former MLA, are cutting into the
INLD-BJP votes in what could have been a one-sided
affair. The Congress nominee, Mr Jagdish Mistry, who
belongs to Hisar, has not been able to organise his
campaign. His mainstay remains the traditional Congress
vote bank.

By putting up
"outsiders" on three of the four seats in the
district the Congress has virtually made the INLD task of
making a clean sweep in Fatehabad easy.

REWARI, Feb 19  An
Independent candidate, Mr Vijay Somani, who enjoys the
support of a prominent BSP leader, Mr Raghu Yadav, is
making all-out efforts to break the past record of only
Ahir candidates being elected from here in all previous
assembly elections held from 1952 to 1996.

Among the 12 candidates
in the fray, Mr Somani is the only Baniya (Vaish)
candidate. His three main rivals  Capt Ajay Singh
Yadav (Cong), Mr Shiv Rattan Singh (BJP) and Mr Randhir
Singh Kapriwas (Ind)  all belong to the Ahir
community.

Mr Somani, Mr Kapriwas
and Capt Ajay Singh are all looked in neck and neck
fight.

KURUKSHETRA, Feb 19
 The local police has registered a case against
Jasbir Singh and three others under Sections 363, 366 and
376/34, IPC, for allegedly kidnapping and raping a minor
girl at Sector 13 here on the intervening night of
February 15 and 16.

According to an FIR
lodged with the police, the girl was kidnapped from near
the local Bank colony while she was returning to her
Jhuggi situated under the flyover on the
Kurukshetra-Pipli road.

The girl told the police
that she was forcibly kidnapped by Jasbir Singh and three
others in a white Maruti car. She alleged that she was
taken to a Health Club at Sector 13 where she was raped
by two of them. She was later dropped at about 4 a.m.
next day at the spot from where she was forcibly
kidnapped.

The girl also told the
police that she knew Jasbir Singh because the transport
company where her father worked was situated near her
jhuggi

The girls father
Afsar Ali, a truck cleaner, alleged that he was rebuked
when he went to police station for getting an FIR lodged.
The case was registered only when the Superintendent of
Police intervened.

Meanwhile, the owner of
the Health Club has expressed ignorance about the
incident, while the clubs servant is reportedly
missing. The results of medico-legal report have
confirmed that the girl was raped. However, no arrest has
been made so far.

Amanpreet Kaur and
Sandeep Kaur of Government College for Women, Patiala,
won the overall trophy. Amanpreet, Anuradha, Jasdeep,
Sandeep and Kamal Jeet won the first, second and third
prizes, respectively. As many as 36 students of different
colleges of Punjab and Haryana participated in this
competition.

CHANDIGARH, Feb 19
 The Vice-Chancellor of Maharshi Dayanand
University clarified today that the alleged
irregularities in the examination branch were detected by
the Controller of Examinations and not by anyone else as
alleged in a report published in this newspaper on
February 19.

The Vice-Chancellor in a
statement said an attempt appeared to have been made by
certain disgruntled officers, including the Registrar.

Necessary steps were
being taken to investigate the issue and bring the
culprits to book. Anyone found involved in the
irregularities would be dealt with severely, the
statement added.

Rajesh Pilot
faces black flagsNARNAUL: Mr Rajesh Pilot, MP and senior
leader of the Congress visited the Nangal Chaudhry on
Saturday to boost the election campaign of Mrs Renu
Poswal, daughter of former Punjab Home Minister Kanhya
Lal Poswal, a candidate from this Assembly constituency,
25 km from here. He faced strong resentment and was shown
black flags by opponents of Nalwati area (Gujjar belt)
who are the deciding factor in the election. 
FOC

Hooda weighed
against blood
ROHTAK: The pradesh Congress chief and
partys candidate form Kiloi assembly constituency
in the district, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, was weighed
against blood by supporters of his party at a function
held here on Friday. At least 225 units of blood was
collected and later donated to the blood bank of the
postgraduate institute of medical sciences here. 
FOC

All set for
Ambala poll
AMBALA: The police has made arrangements for the
assembly elections for five constituencies of Ambala
City, Ambala Cantonment, Naraingarh, Mulana, and Naggal
of the district Ambala. As many as 41 booths of Sadhaura,
Yamunanagar district constituency lies in the territorial
jurisdiction of Ambala, 44 booths of Raipur Rani of
Panchkula district area falls in Naraingarh constituency
and Bhuni village of Ambala lies in Shahbad of
Kurukshetra district. The Superintendent of Police, Mr
Navdeep Singh Virak said there would be seven partrolling
parties in each assembly constituency.  FOC